Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh

 

(Matt 2:11)  “…they saw the child with Mary his mother;  and they knelt down and paid him homage.  Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

 

So, why were the oils as valuable as the gold?

For thousands of years, these rare plant essences have been highly prized in the Holy Land for their healing properties.  They are mentioned many hundreds of times in the Bible, and they were so valuable that in Isa 39:2 and 2 Kings 20:13 Hezehiah even displayed them as part of his treasure trove.

 

Oils were used for divine healing.

In Matthew 6:17-18 Jesus says to use anointing oil when fasting.  Mark 6:13 says:  “They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”  In Luke 10-33, Jesus tells a parable in which bandaged wounds are soaked with oil to help them heal.  And John in Rev 3:18, tells of a vision of Jesus saying metaphorically to use “salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”  James 5:14 says of healing oils:  “Is any one of you sick?  He should call the edlers of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

 

Oils were used for “anointing” in special rites.

Anointing is the process of rubbing or massaging oils onto a person’s feet or head, for the purpose of healing, or for showing reverence.  Usually in Biblical times, olive oil was the carrier oil for other oils and resins, like almond, cinnamon, castor, myrtle, cypress, cedar, frankincense, and myrrh.

 

In Ex 30:22-26 God prescribes a holy anointing oil: “Then the LOD said to Moses, “Take the following: … liquid myrrh,…fragrant cinnamon,…fragrant cane,…cassia, and…olive oil. (25)  Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend.”  Later in Psa 89:20-26 God anointed David with this sacred oil.  The Psalmist says Psa 23:5 “You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”  Isaiah 61:1 tells of the Prophet’s being anointed to do prophetic work by the “Spirit of the Lord GOD.”

 

John tells us that as an act of devotion, Jn 12:3 “Mary took a pound of costly … pure spikenard, anointed Jesus’ feet , and wiped them with her hair.  The house was filled with the fragrance of perfume.”

 

You too can have these healing oils, which have been proven for thousands of years!

 

 

Bible Verses for Essential Oils

Ezekiel 47:12 “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.  Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail.  Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them.  The fruit thereof shall be your meat, and THE LEAF FOR MEDICINE.”